1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the mounting of electrical components with flexible leads and, more particularly, with leads that are shaped so that a device mounted thereon is movable in each of three mutually orthogonal directions and is relatively inflexible in other directions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In some situations, the mounting of electrical components must be accomplished with a certain degree of flexibility so that the component is enabled to move under the action of various forces such as the normal operating motion of a member to which the component may be attached. Such motion should be allowed in at least as many directions as the member moves and preferably in three orthogonal directions. Furthermore, it is desirable that the component motion be accomplished without putting undue stress on the movable component or that the component not be permanently displaced. At the same time, it is desirable to have the conductors be relatively rigid so that they do no move about and cause shorting or grounding or cause repeated stress on the electrical connections which might produce an open circuit. The prior art has heretofore generally utilized shielded or bare wires such as are disclosed in the H. W. Landau U.S. Pat. No. 3,258,563 issued June 28, 1966, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In this invention, a delicate switch is employed which is capable of locking in a closed position until such time as a bimetal member, heated by a resistor through which current flows, causes the tripping of the switch to an open position. The electrical leads going to and from the resistor associated with the bimetal member have, in the past, been shielded wire of a common variety, or in some cases bare flexible lead wire. Insulated lead wire may become stiff at low temperatures which can produce stress on the bimetal member and cause the safety switch to produce errors. If the conductors are bare, they can short circuit or ground out. In the circuit breaker art such as shown in the W. N. Woods U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,921 and O. B. Powell U.S. Pat. No. 3,268,689, multistrand braided wire is used for electrical connections in a circuit heater. When multiple stranded leads are used, the same problems as above exist and there are additional difficulties in trying to attach the leads to a standard printed circuit board.